Friday, March 12, 2010, 3:00pm PST | Modified: March 12, 2010, 3:00 PM

Efficiency products mostly made in the USA

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A new report from a nonprofit group shows that a majority of energy efficiency products, from caulk to washing machine parts, are made in the United States, positive economic news considering the current push — via programs and proposed programs such as Home Star and Building Star — to retrofit homes and building for better energy efficiency.

About 96 percent of caulking used domestically is made here, according to the study, and various types of building insulation, as well as spray foam and duct sheet metal, are all over 90 percent American-manufactured. Even 96 percent of vinyl replacement windows for U.S. buildings are made here.

The New York Times reports that the study was sponsored by the Home Performance Resource Center, a nonprofit linked to Efficiency First, an advocacy organization. A firm called Newport Partners conducted the analysis; it used government data to determine what share of each type of products was imported.

Even the officials at Efficiency First were surprised at the large share of efficiency materials held by U.S. companies.

In Portland, the Clean Energy Works program is in the midst of rolling out home energy efficiency upgrades.